


the desire to need

by theredhoodie



Series: little slice of el rey [1]
Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, Married Life, Polygamy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-29
Updated: 2014-09-29
Packaged: 2018-02-19 07:20:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2379719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theredhoodie/pseuds/theredhoodie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seth would never leave Richie, he would never cut his baby brother out of his life, and Kate would never be able to do that either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the desire to need

**Author's Note:**

> this started as nothing but a friend of mine mentioning seth and kate married somewhere down the line. and half an hour later we were both crying over the paragraphs of headcanons we had typed out and then i wrote a fic. the end.
> 
> lightly edited, any mistakes i apologize for!

The apartment is the same as always. It hasn't changed at all since they all moved everything in and sorted the right furniture into the right rooms. The key attached to ring in his pocket still opens the deadbolt, but the door rattles loudly no matter how slowly he opens it. Richie barely remembers to lock it behind him, the world swimming. The moonlight seeps through the windows that are curtainless, throwing shades of shadow and light across the floor, lighting the floor enough for him to pick his way around. His arms windmill around him from time to time, even though the apartment is a tiny thing and there isn't much space between the front door and the only other doorway in the place.

Jose Cuervo still burns the back of his tongue and his vision is blurry even with his glasses on. He stumbles over the edge of a throw rug but catches himself before he can face plant into a table or the wall. He catches the edge of the doorway and blinks widely inside. There's less light here, since there are curtains pulled over the single window and the light in the bathroom is turned off. He hovers in the doorway and the world is filled with the rhythmic sounds of breathing and the slight rustle as Kate edges toward consciousness.

Once his world is up and down and straight, he steps forward, making more noise than anticipated as he tries to pull off his shoes without leaning against anything. Seth is sound asleep but Kate stirs some more. Richie drops his shoes on the rug and not against the floor because he is  _trying_  not to wake up the whole neighborhood. His jacket gives him more trouble, the cuffs synching around his wrists with buttons that he doesn't remember buttoning. It flaps in the air and frustrated growls rumble through the room as he yanks his hands free.

"Richie?" Kate's voice is soft, softer than usual because she's half asleep. This isn't the first time she was woken up at nearly three in the morning and she anticipates what's going to happen next, scooting to the very edge of the mattress.

"Hey," Richie says, trying to whisper, but his whisper comes out louder than he wants. Kate has no time to kick Seth awake before Richie's crawling onto the mattress between the two of them and letting himself fall against the bed like dead weight.

That wakes Seth up. "Huh—what? Richard," he says in succession, the last with a hint of a sigh.

Richie is half on his side, half on his stomach and the world feels heavenly with his eyes closed. He doesn't even feel Kate pull his glasses off of his face and put them aside.

There was a reason why Seth and Kate bought a king sized bed. They had been through this with a smaller mattress and it never fit three people. And neither of them could say no to Richie.

"Sorry," Richie mumbles and Seth catches Kate's eyes in the darkened room.

She does that thing where the corner of her lips turn upward but not in a smile and her eyes are droopy with sleep. Seth just sighs and scoots over to give all of them more room on the mattress. Seth usually likes to spread out when he's sleeping, but Richie likes to do the same thing, which led them to the need of an oversized mattress.

"Don't be sorry, Richie," Kate says into the darkness, as they all shift around a little to get comfortable. Richie's on top of the covers and they're both under the thin sheet and blanket. The extra body heat makes the two of them move around more until none of them are under covers and Richie's quiet dark world is back to being stable.

It's late and there's no more talking. No one complains, they all settle and move around a little, getting comfortable. The tug of sleep grabs Kate quickly, and she doesn't even notice the rise in heat in the room. Richie doesn't know when he moves from lullaby quiet to full blown unconsciousness. The three of them are so comfortable with each other that their limbs are tangled together in such familiarity. Seth, the watcher and protector, is the last to succumb to slumber.

The moon shifts in the sky and trades places with the sun as the hours creep by. It's hot but the humidity dropped overnight. The sun takes its time heating up the dark curtains over the bedroom window and otherwise breaks into the house through the small bathroom window and the three windows in the other room.

Seth wakes up first, without an alarm clock. He's pushed to the edge of the mattress, his back pressed against Richie's. He twists around without falling off and surveys his younger brother using his wife as a pillow, his arm lying across her stomach, forehead pressed against her ribcage. Kate, like many nights, slept on her back, looking peaceful like an angel.

He gets out of the bed, trying to be as quiet as he can. He shuffles around for a moment to wake up his limbs, taking a piss but not flushing for fear of waking up the prodigy. Kate always shifts when she starts to wake up. She rarely wakes up in a rush, no, it had been years since that happened. Instead, she shifts around and Seth moves into the living-slash-kitchen-slash-dining room. It's cozy and small. He starts coffee, putting the grounds in the top of the percolator and filling the metal base. He turns on the stove and it burns blue.

Kate blinks away into the morning and takes in a deep breath that raises her chest. She can feel the weight of someone leaning on her, and she knows its Richie. She can hear the soft sounds of Seth in the other room and tucks her chin down to look at Richie. He's sound asleep, hair a mess. Kate sighs, wiggling her fingers of the arm that had been forced away from her body and bends it at the elbow, brushing her hand over his hair. He's holding her close the way a child holds their favorite stuffed animal close. Not that Kate was a stuffed animal, but he had the same ferocity in his grip.

Kate just settles back, blinking lazily at the ceiling in the dimness of the room as it becomes lighter, the illumination from the bathroom and the doorway creeping toward the bed. She runs her fingers through Richie's hair over and over, and moves her other gently over his bare arm, over the bones of his wrist and across his forearm.

Time passes and Seth ventures into the room with a steaming mug. It's hot and filled with Kate's favorite things. He doesn't say anything, just kisses her forehead and shakes his head at his brother before he disappears again.

The scent of coffee reaches Richie's senses, clouded with the after effects of alcohol. Kate keeps running her fingers through his hair so much it's becoming automatic, letting her steaming mug cool off on the side table. Richie sniffs in a breath through a stuffed up nose and furrows his eyebrows. He moves without opening his eyes until his cheek is pressed against the downward turn of Kate's ribs and he slides his hand against her side and abdomen, catching her fingers in his.

"Mornin', sunshine," she says softly, her fingers slowing but not stopping.

Richie opens his eyes. The world around him is warm and filled with the familiar things that remind him that he's home. The soft cotton of Kate's shirt against his skin, the softness of her skin against his own. He can smell coffee and hear something click on in the other room. Mumbles of sound can just be heard.

"You really shouldn't drink so much," Kate says, chiding him softly, but she knows that it's not likely to stop. But she cares about him more than she can put into words and she needs him to know that she worries about him constantly.

Her words don't fall on deaf ears, but Richie doesn't always reply to things said to him, not if he doesn't feel like it. Instead, he's holding her hand in his and finding her wedding band on her finger. She wears a band, not a ring, mostly because they can't afford it. Knocking off places in Mexico isn't the easiest thing, and Seth's into honest work now. Kate doesn't mind the band.

Richie twists the gold promise against her finger and feels her chest rise and fall with every breath she takes. If he concentrated hard enough, he could hear her heart beating.

Seth pokes his head into the room. "Coffee, brother?" he asks, even though of course Richie wants coffee, hasn't Seth known him long enough?

"And use almond milk, none of that soy crap," Richie says, his voice thick from sleep. His tongue feels dry and cottony and he vows to not drink tequila again…until the next time he did. That was always his promise to himself.

Kate rolls her eyes, her own coffee getting room temperature next to her, but both of her hands were occupied. "How do you feel?" she asks.

"Like I drank a bottle of tequila and got hit by a truck," he responds, eyes intent on the glint of metal on her finger, fingers so small compared to his own.

"Tell me you didn't…"

"It was just a donkey and a cart. And I may have been the one to hit it," Richie explains in a low voice.

Kate laughs lightly and it's the most beautiful thing Richie's heard in a long time. "That poor donkey," she muses.

Seth interrupts with a mug, steaming and filled with almond milk. "Did I hear something about donkeys?"

Richie doesn't move, far too comfortable where he was. So Seth adds his mug to the table next to Kate's.

"I'm sure Richie'll tell you when he's feelin' a little less hungover," Kate says with a shake of her head. Seth scoffs and starts opening drawers. "What's on the schedule for today?"

Seth pulls out a shirt and grabs pants from the stand up wardrobe. He changes his underwear and pulls on the pants and undershirt. "The usual," he responds, putting his arms through the sleeves of his grey button-down. "We've got that big deal next week. But that's…y'know, next week."

Kate nods and keeps running her fingers through Richie's hair. His fingers keep twisting the ring on her finger.

Seth turns to her and lifts two ties, one in each hand. "Red? Blue?" The red has a design of black lines, barely visible unless seen close, and the blue one is stripped with lighter blue. Red is always appropriate for a Gecko.

But Kate says, "Blue," instead and brushes her fingertips against Richie's palm, causing him to momentarily stop twisting her ring.

Seth nods and goes about tying his corporate noose. "Y'know, since you're here, Richie, we're gonna eat like kings tonight," he says, sliding the fabric over other folds of fabric and knotting it perfectly. "What'd you say? Tamales, some enchiladas? Horchata?"

Richie's eyebrows raise and Kate half smirks at the brothers. "Horchata," Richie repeats.

"Freshly made. There's a store right next to work," Seth says, sitting heavily on the edge of the bed and pulling on a shiny shoe. "Where the hell's my other shoe?" he mutters.

"Over there," Kate points to the chair sitting under the window and the dark curtains.

Seth finds his shoe and finishes his outfit. "How do I look?" he asks, holding his hands out to either side for a moment.

"Handsome as ever," Kate says with a grin.

Seth walks around to the other side of the bed and leans down to place a goodbye kiss against her lips. Morning breath and all. Kate smiles up at him like she's got a sliver of sun in her soul and Seth moves to smooth his hand over Richie's hair. "Take care of the wife while I'm gone, eh brother?" Seth says affectionately.

Richie looks up at Seth as best he can. "Now, we both know she doesn't need looking after," he pointed out.

Seth shook his head and laughed lightly in agreement. He slips away from the room, grabs his wallet and keys and heads outside, letting the door clank and clink as much as it can.

The apartment falls silent and Kate sucks in a huge breath. "I really wanna drink my coffee," she pokes, moving her fingers to the nape of Richie's neck and letting her hand rest there. "Don't you want to drink your coffee?"

He takes in a sigh of his own and nods, slowly waiting for the world to settle after he sits up. Kate sits up too, folding her legs and reaching over to the table. She hands Richie his coffee first and then takes her own. She takes a sip and then a gulp before she pushes herself off of the bed and onto her feet.

"You okay?" she asks.

Richie looks up at her and nods.

She gives him a smile and retreats into the bathroom. She runs her hands through her hair and pees and washes her hands and face. She doesn't feel the need to pull on any more clothes, perfectly comfortable in her t-shirt and panties. She walks back out and Richie has downed his whole cup. She would offer him hers, but she likes her soy milk.

"I'm gonna start some eggs. Get yourself cleaned up, okay? You smell like a bar," she chided once again, waving her hand, but offering him a small smile that bled warmth into her eyes. She takes her cup and leaves.

The kitchen is homey, and soon filled with Kate's hums and the sounds of pans and spoons and eggs being scrambled. Richie has as many clothes here as Seth and Kate and takes a quick shower, slicking back his hair with nothing but water and his fingers and pulling on comfortable pants and that was it. It is still really warm, and a shirt is just too much extra cloth to stick to his skin.

Cartoons are going on in the living room and Richie sits down, turning up the volume a little. Kate walks over two minutes later with two plates of eggs and cheap forks. She sits sideways on the couch and puts her feet in his lap and leans against the back of the couch.

They don't say anything, only getting closer and eating silently, the cartoons nothing but background white noise. Sometimes their eyes flicker to it otherwise their gazes are on each other. Kate hasn't changed much in the few years since they first met. Her face is a little thinner, her curves a little more curvy, her skin tanner and covered in more freckles. Her hair's grown long and she keeps it back in long braids usually. But now, it's running wild. Richie's got scars covering his skin, still as pasty white as ever, the same hair that looks good slicked back but like a hobo when let loose. His eyes are still bluer than the sky and his signature glasses are perched on the bridge of his nose.

They finish their eggs and Kate just settles against his shoulder, and his hand finds hers again. He presses her wedding band between his fingers and they actually watch the cartoon on the screen until there's a commercial.

Kate untangles herself and puts the plates and forks in the sink. She walks back over and stands in front of Richie, blocking his view of the television. She holds out her hands and raises her eyebrows at him. Kate has changed a lot since she became a Mexican resident. She speaks fluent Spanish and dances like no dignified preacher's daughter should, but she's no longer that girl. She hasn't been for years. So she teaches dance classes to kids and works a few more jobs but today…today her only job is to be with Richie.

He doesn't say anything, only watching her intently for elongated seconds before he slips his hands against hers and stands. She tugs against his arms but there is no way she can even come close to lifting him up herself. Instead, she steps back and he moves with her. She puts one of his hands down low, circling around her side, his palm and fingers pressing against the middle of her back, her arm on that side slipping against his bare skin, her fingers resting against his collarbone. Their other hands lace together, the flash of gold with every move they make glittering in the sun coming through the windows. Kate presses herself against him and rests her head on the middle of his chest. She closes her eyes and they move to a no rhythm, swaying close together. Richie's eyes forever on the band on her finger and how perfectly their hands met and folded around each other.

They both need the closeness. Richie always has, but he never had anyone but Seth to try to sate that need. But Kate is here and she's grown to need him just as much as he needs her. And it really doesn't matter what they do, as long as they're close and together. They both know it, and so does Seth. He needs his brother too. Seth would never leave Richie, he would never cut his baby brother out of his life, and Kate would never be able to do that either. Richie is as much a part of her life as Seth, and a small gold band wouldn't get in the way.


End file.
